Boys' name · since 1880
Dudley
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 11,868 babies named Dudley, peaking in 1931. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,092 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,698 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,868
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
11,868 babies have been named Dudley since 1880, making it today's #10698 boys' name.
Dudley has 11,868 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10698 as of the latest data, more common than 23% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,092 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,698 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 11,868 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dudley ranks #1,092 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,698 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 11,868 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,092 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,698 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,868
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Dudley's 11,868 recorded births place it above 97.59% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Louisiana.
How Dudley compares
11,868 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dudley's all-time total is 32x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dudley | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,868 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 279 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dudley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dudley's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 29% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 71%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2009, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1931 peak of 279, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dudley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1931)
- 279
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dudley popularity over time - girls
120 total births recorded since 1914 (Dudley as girls' name)
Dudley by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,964 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Dudley's strongest decade.
1,964 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Dudley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 270
1880s
270 births
- 1890s 253
1890s
253 births
- 1900s 312
1900s
312 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,362 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,964 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,856 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,798 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,859 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,039 births
- 1970s 411
1970s
411 births
- 1980s 291
1980s
291 births
- 1990s 199
1990s
199 births
- 2000s 107
2000s
107 births
- 2010s 97
2010s
97 births
- 2020s 50
2020s
50 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,964 births (17% of all-time use).
How Dudley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dudley's total volume
Dudley by state
Where Dudley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 1,055 | 8.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 987 | 8.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 692 | 5.8% |
| #4 | California | | 494 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 430 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 360 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 354 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 330 | 2.8% |
1,055 of 11,868 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Dudley appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dudley? ▼
Where does Dudley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dudley most popular? ▼
Where is Dudley most popular? ▼
How long has the name Dudley been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dudley? ▼
What to do with Dudley's data
- Dudley's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,964 total births); usage has since declined to 50 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Dudleys (1,055 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dudley
Nearby Names Like Dudley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dudley
Compare Dudley side by side: Dudley vs Dude Dudley vs Dud
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dudley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dudley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1931)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dudley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.